The Silent Wife

Staff Pick

Alternating chapters titled "Him" and "Her" detail the inner secrets of a marriage heading toward disaster. You may figure out who's done it, but it's not until the last few pages that you know why. This is the adult thriller of the season. Do not start before going to bed and cuddling with your significant other.Recommended by Miriam, Powells.com

The Silent Wife is yet another tale of a morally bereft husband and his stoic wife who has a tenuous grasp on her sanity. Harrison puts forth the idea that — contrary to popular belief — in silence there is power. This book is a fast, fun, engaging read!Recommended by Dianah, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A chilling psychological thriller about a marriage, a way of life, and how far one woman will go to keep what is rightfully hers.

Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can’t be made, and promises that won’t be kept. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden, The Silent Wife ensnares the reader from page one and does not let go.

Review:

"Canadian author Harrison's first novel is a smart, nuanced portrait of a dying marriage. Psychotherapist Jodi Brett is content with her tidy, tranquil existence — cooking for her husband, Todd Gilbert; walking the dog; seeing a few clients out of their gorgeous Chicago condo — while headstrong Todd works as a professional renovator. As Jodi sees it, they complement each other, and she doesn't mind pretending to disregard Todd's indiscretions (which he clumsily attempts to cover up) in exchange. Accepting the peccadillos of her adulterous husband is one thing, but when Todd takes his infidelity to the next level and tells her that he's leaving her, the existence she's clung to so dearly is destroyed. And Jodi will do anything to take it back. And she does. Harrison (Zodicat Speaks and three other nonfiction titles) breathes life into Adlerian psychology, and weaves theory into a heart-pounding thriller that will keep you up at night. Agent: Samantha Haywood, Transatlantic Literary Agency (Canada). (July)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Synopsis:

"This summer's Gone Girl I gobbled it down in one sitting."  Anne Lamott, People

Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that cant be made, and promises that wont be kept. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden, The Silent Wife ensnares the reader from page one and does not let go.

Synopsis:

New York Times Bestseller

Unimpeachably terrific.” —The New York Times Book Review

One of CBS This Mornings 6 Must-Have Titles for Your Summer Reading List”

The publishing phenomenon topping bestseller lists around the world, with sales of more than two million copies in Europe and rights sold in more than forty countries, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair is a fast-paced, tightly plotted, cinematic literary thriller, and an ingenious book within a book, by a dazzling young writer.

August 30, 1975: the day fifteen-year-old Nola Kellergan is glimpsed fleeing through the woods, never to be heard from again; the day Somerset, New Hampshire, lost its innocence.

Thirty-three years later, Marcus Goldman, a successful young novelist, visits Somerset to see his mentor, Harry Quebert, one of the countrys most respected writers, and to find a cure for his writers block as his publishers deadline looms. But Marcuss plans are violently upended when Harry is suddenly and sensationally implicated in the cold-case murder of Nola Kellergan—whom, he admits, he had an affair with. As the national media convicts Harry, Marcus launches his own investigation, following a trail of clues through his mentors books, the backwoods and isolated beaches of New Hampshire, and the hidden history of Somersets citizens and the man they hold most dear. To save Harry, his own writing career, and eventually even himself, Marcus must answer three questions, all of which are mysteriously connected: Who killed Nola Kellergan? What happened one misty morning in Somerset in the summer of 1975? And how do you write a book to save someones life?

About the Author

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 3 comments:

kitten60, March 1, 2014 (view all comments by kitten60)
I am so happy that I bought this book... a cleverly insecure woman finds herself in an impossible situation brought on by her lack of attention to financial details...like getting married to the creep who has all the money. This once "pleasing" female gets herself together at the great surprise of everyone and...well actually..it would cruel to go further now...

dreena, November 7, 2013 (view all comments by dreena)
If you liked Gone Girl, The Silent Wife should be your next read. Yes, it is another story of a dissolution of a marriage, but with new twists, turns and psychological warfare to ensnare the characters and you, the reader. A page turner...

Alternating chapters titled "Him" and "Her" detail the inner secrets of a marriage heading toward disaster. You may figure out who's done it, but it's not until the last few pages that you know why. This is the adult thriller of the season. Do not start before going to bed and cuddling with your significant other.

by Miriam

"Staff Pick"
by Dianah,

The Silent Wife is yet another tale of a morally bereft husband and his stoic wife who has a tenuous grasp on her sanity. Harrison puts forth the idea that — contrary to popular belief — in silence there is power. This book is a fast, fun, engaging read!

by Dianah

"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Canadian author Harrison's first novel is a smart, nuanced portrait of a dying marriage. Psychotherapist Jodi Brett is content with her tidy, tranquil existence — cooking for her husband, Todd Gilbert; walking the dog; seeing a few clients out of their gorgeous Chicago condo — while headstrong Todd works as a professional renovator. As Jodi sees it, they complement each other, and she doesn't mind pretending to disregard Todd's indiscretions (which he clumsily attempts to cover up) in exchange. Accepting the peccadillos of her adulterous husband is one thing, but when Todd takes his infidelity to the next level and tells her that he's leaving her, the existence she's clung to so dearly is destroyed. And Jodi will do anything to take it back. And she does. Harrison (Zodicat Speaks and three other nonfiction titles) breathes life into Adlerian psychology, and weaves theory into a heart-pounding thriller that will keep you up at night. Agent: Samantha Haywood, Transatlantic Literary Agency (Canada). (July)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

"Synopsis"
by Penguin,

"This summer's Gone Girl I gobbled it down in one sitting."  Anne Lamott, People

Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that cant be made, and promises that wont be kept. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden, The Silent Wife ensnares the reader from page one and does not let go.

"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,

New York Times Bestseller

Unimpeachably terrific.” —The New York Times Book Review

One of CBS This Mornings 6 Must-Have Titles for Your Summer Reading List”

The publishing phenomenon topping bestseller lists around the world, with sales of more than two million copies in Europe and rights sold in more than forty countries, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair is a fast-paced, tightly plotted, cinematic literary thriller, and an ingenious book within a book, by a dazzling young writer.

August 30, 1975: the day fifteen-year-old Nola Kellergan is glimpsed fleeing through the woods, never to be heard from again; the day Somerset, New Hampshire, lost its innocence.

Thirty-three years later, Marcus Goldman, a successful young novelist, visits Somerset to see his mentor, Harry Quebert, one of the countrys most respected writers, and to find a cure for his writers block as his publishers deadline looms. But Marcuss plans are violently upended when Harry is suddenly and sensationally implicated in the cold-case murder of Nola Kellergan—whom, he admits, he had an affair with. As the national media convicts Harry, Marcus launches his own investigation, following a trail of clues through his mentors books, the backwoods and isolated beaches of New Hampshire, and the hidden history of Somersets citizens and the man they hold most dear. To save Harry, his own writing career, and eventually even himself, Marcus must answer three questions, all of which are mysteriously connected: Who killed Nola Kellergan? What happened one misty morning in Somerset in the summer of 1975? And how do you write a book to save someones life?

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